[Nowhere Man]

Where does this end? Muslims want reparations for the Crusades. Europeans demand reparations for Muslim invasions into Spain and France. Jews were enslaved by Egypt, if we believe the Bible. Serfs, peasants, pogroms, genocides, slaves up and down the timeline of history. You could keep an army of accountants and genealogists busy for a millennium.

True, I'm part Jew myself, my great grandmother suffered twice under the pogroms by having her villages burned out from under her. If slavery reparations commence then I, and many others, should get them too for whatever happened in the past, if you want to be fair about it. I could use the dough, I mean, my mother just passed away, I could use, and need it, for a fresh start ya know. I think I'll type up a demand letter and sent it off to Vladimir Putin. B-P

Seriously, you're right, we'd be tied up for years, either that or there will a South Park idea where everyone sues everyone.

[fhayek]

I have a pet theory. For better or worse, we are the product of history. If it were not for the countless wars, enslavements, pogroms, etc, we, us (you and me) would not exist today. Think genealogy. One might think that if, for some reason, my great, great grandfather never met my great, great grandmother, I might be a little different. I might have red hair instead of brown. But, if you think about it, that is completely wrong. If my great, great grandfather had never met my great grandmother, I would not exist at all. There never would have been my great grandfather and thus my grandfather and so on.

My point is, if it had not been for the abomination of slavery, blacks in America would not exist at all. It is not as though they would still exist, only in Africa. There would not have been the genetic pairings that led to their very existence. We all have this. How many rapes during the myriad of invasions throughout history have led, ultimately to you and me.

My clumsy point, is that you cannot separate the good from the bad. History is history. You want reparations? What is the value of your existence?